Boston lawyer once named ‘most eligible bachelor’ is sentenced to 5-10 years for raping 21-year-old

BOSTON (AP) — A former Boston lawyer and prosecutor who was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors has been sentenced to between five and 10 years in state prison for rape. Fifty-two-year-old Gary Zerola was found guilty last month after a jury deliberated for five hours in a case dating to 2021. He was acquitted of a greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary. Zerola had previously been accused of other sexual assaults but wasn’t convicted on those charges. In a victim impact statement, the woman who was raped said she still has nightmares. Zerola is appealing the conviction.